NEIGHBOURS were delighted when new bus shelters were built - now they just need the buses!

Three shelters were torn down and replaced in Alandale Road, Bradley.

They were intended to keep passengers warm and dry while they waited for the 327 bus.

But the plan was spoilt before the work was finished - when First Huddersfield diverted its service away from Alandale Road.

Now Metro, which built the shelters, has been forced to put up signs saying "Stop not in use".

One disgruntled passenger said: "The irony is that buses still run on the opposite side of the road, where there are no shelters.

"The whole thing seems to be a fiasco and waste of money."

First Huddersfield is being asked to restore the service to its old route.

But if they refuse, travel bosses are prepared to move the shelters across the road - at additional public expense.

Metro, which co-ordinates public transport in West Yorkshire, said it was powerless to dictate to operators about the routes they should run.

First Huddersfield, meanwhile, insisted it had given plenty of notice about the route change.

A Metro spokeswoman said: "Metro has requested the bus company to reconsider the route changes and bring these stops back into use and is currently awaiting a reply."

The 327 service was re-routed in the Bradley area late last month and extended to serve the new Bradley Business Park.

The 328 Bradley Badger service, also run by First, continues to run on the opposite site of Alandale Road.

Graham Riley, First Huddersfield's business director, said: "We were approached by Kirklees Council about improved links to what was the Holliday's chemical site and the new Bradley Business Park on Bradley Road.

"They wanted to help with jobs and we re-routed the bus as part of that process.

"I have to say that we gave the eight weeks' notice which is required."

He added: "There are other operators they could approach about serving the road."